Marching to Mark Freedom

These flag-waving children, right, were among thousands of people celebrating Mexican Independence Day with a parade down Cesar Chavez Boulevard, below. Sunday’s holiday commemorated the Sept. 16, 1810, revolt led by Father Miguel Hidalgo against Spanish colonial rule. Mexico gained independence in 1821. The parade, sponsored by the Comite Mexicano Civico Patriotico, went through Boyle Heights and unincorporated East Los Angeles, long the heart of Hispanic Los Angeles. Gov. Gray Davis was among the dignitaries who rode in the parade, which also featured dozens of floats, bands and horseback riders. Groups of immigrants who come from the same region of Mexico sponsored many of the floats.